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STRAINING FOR SAFETY ON RUNCORN BRIDGE

A brief description is given of the extensive tests carried out on the overhead maintenance crawler on the runcorn-widnes bridge across the Manchester ship canal. Being neither a crane nor a winch and therefore outside the scope of normal procedures, exacting methods were demanded for testing tension and deflection. A five-man radio-linked team conducted the tests which involved the use of loaded cradles being suspended from the crawler. The successful outcome of the tests allowed a three year maintenance programme to commence. /TRRL/